Video cassette machines have become a common household item. Such video cassette machines, however, normally receive one video tape to be either viewed on a screen associated with said video recorder one at a time. Furthermore such video tape machines may be electrically connected to another video tape machine so as to copy the program from one tape in one machine to a blank tape in a second machine.
Various attempts have heretofore been made in order to automatically or sequentially load one cassette from a stack of cassettes into a video recorder.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,582,082 teaches a tape cassette automatic exchange device for automatically supplying a number of magnetic tape cartridges stacked in a magazine to a pre-determined playing or recording position one after another for playing a recording in such a manner that the lower most tape cartridge is placed in said playing or recording position, removed from said position upon completion of the playing or recording and then the next tape cartridge is place in said position.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,892 relates to a mechanism operable to sequentially place each of the plurality of cassettes into an effective position for recording or reproduction including inverting the cassette to position each of two magnetic tracks in the effective position.
Yet another device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,133 which relates to a cart spot player having a tape library or bin structure, a series of tape transports in stacked alignment, and a cassette loading/unloading station as part of the bin structure at one side of the player. Input/Output ports are provided for the bin structure. Furthermore, at the opposite side of the player, input/output ports are provided for the bin structure.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,013 shows a plurality of vertically stacked cassette trays which are adapted to contain video cassettes and a support member adapted to maintain the vertically stacked cassette trays in the fixed position. The video cassette player-changer also includes a motor adapted so that it may be driven in two directions, a screw mechanically coupled to the motor so that it rotates in response to the motor, a coupling device which couples the rotating screw to the support member so that the rotating screw raises and lowers the support member. The video cassette player-changer further includes a housing adapted to contain the plurality of video cassette players, the plurality of vertically stacked trays and their support member, the motor, screw and also a cassette changing device for unloading or loading the video cassette players which is mechanically coupled to the cassette trays. A programming apparatus programs that video cassettes will be played in a particular video cassette player at a particular time by electrically controlling both the motor and the cassette changing device so that the particular video cassette may be placed in the particular video cassette player.
These and other prior art devices disclosed relatively complicated structures which have relatively limited utility.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved cassette changer and particularly provide an improved video cassette changer for loading and unloading video cassettes from a video machine.
The broadest aspect of this invention relates to a cassette changer for loading and unloading cassettes from a recorder comprising: a holding device for holding a plurality of cassettes adjacent said recorder; displaceable structure for loading one cassette from said holding device into said recorder in a first position and for unloading said cassette from said recorder to a second position; a shaft; said displaceable structure mounted for slidable movement along said shaft between said first and second positions; a flexible wire for moving said displaceable structure between said first and second position; an electrical motor associated with said flexible wire for moving said displaceable structure between said first and second positions so as to sequentially load and unload said cassettes into and from said recorder respectively.
A further aspect of this invention relates to a video cassette changer for loading and unloading video cassettes from a video cassette machine comprising; a magazine adapted to be disposed on top of said machine, said magazine including, an opening at the top thereof for receiving said cassettes for stacking therein, a tray disposed at the bottom thereof, and a side opening; a gripper for advancing said cassette in said tray into said recorder in a loaded position, and for unloading said cassette from said recorder in said unloaded position; a pusher receivable by said side opening for pushing the bottom cassette in said magazine means into said tray in said unloaded position and retractable from said side opening to permit said stack of cassettes to fall within said magazine in said loaded position; a shaft; said pusher and said gripper mounted for slidable movement along said shaft between said loaded and unloaded position; a wire for moving said pusher and said gripper; pulleys for receiving said wire; an electrical motor associated with said pulley for activating said wire to move said pusher and said gripper to sequentially load and unload said cassettes into and from said machine respectively.
A still further aspect of this invention relates to a video cassette changer for loading and unloading video cassettes from a video cassette machine comprising; a magazine adapted to be disposed in front of said machine, said magazine including, an opening at the top thereof for receiving said cassettes for stacking therein and a lip disposed at the bottom thereof for retaining said cassette in said stacked position in said magazine; a gripper including a stationary arm and a displaceable arm; a solenoid associated with said displaceable arm so as to, advance the bottom cassette into said magazine by said displaceable arm into said machine in a loaded position while said stationary arm prevents said stack of cassettes from falling to said lip in said loaded positions, and grip said cassette from said recorder between said stationary and displaceable arm to withdraw said cassette from said machine to an unloaded position where said stationary arm clears said stack of cassettes in said magazine and where said stack of cassettes drops to said lip; a shaft; said gripper mounted for slidable movement along said shaft between said loaded and unloaded positions; a wire for moving said gripper between said loaded and unloaded positions; pulleys for receiving said wire; an electrical motor associated with said pulley for activating said wire to move said gripper to sequentially load and unload said cassettes into and from said machine respectively.
These and other objects and features of the invention shall now be described in relation to the attached drawings.